LOGO
FOCIC is the acronym for the English version of the Foundation’s name (Foundation Centre of Islamic Civilization) that also coincides with the Macedonian name of the Foundation (Фондација Центар за Исламска Цивилизација).
This motive of logo is an ornament from the Ottoman art in the form of a "network” that symbolises the interpersonal relations and the goal of the Foundation to establish a network with different cultures that coexist in the Balkans. This
This motive of logo is an ornament from the Ottoman art in the form of a "network” that symbolises the interpersonal relations and the goal of the Foundation to establish a network with different cultures that coexist in the Balkans. This
motive was taken from the shrine turbe that is in the harem of the Ishak Bey’s (Aladja) Mosque – the builder of this mosque and of many other monuments in Skopje.
The compound where the Foundation’s main office is, consists of two buildings built at the time of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876–1909) i.e. in 1892. The small building used to be a post office, while the bigger building was the main office of the Kosova Vilayet Administration during the Ottoman rule. As part of this compound, behind those two buildings there used to be a third building that was part of the compound.
With the withdrawal of the Ottomans, when the Ottomans no longer ruled with the southeastern part of the Balkans in 1912 the entire compound fell into the hands of the post‐Ottoman authorities of the Kingdom of Serbia. With God’s will these two buildings were not destroyed while the third building was completely demolished during the Balkan Wars and no trace was left of it with the exception of some archive pictures. According to some stories these buildings until the Second World War were used as military facilities, and afterwards as a place for army recruiting. During the Communist regime the buildings were used by the goldsmith company Rubin Karmin. This company at the time of the privatisation and after the fall of Communism bought the buildings from the state and they stayed there until 2011 when they sold them to the Foundation "Centre of Islamic Civilization”.
FOUNDATION’S HISTORY
The Foundation was founded in 2006. Its founders are B. Benjamin Idriz, Adnan Ismaili and Tadjudin Shabani. At the same time the Executive Board of the Foundation was formed consisting of its founders along with Sulejman Baki, Muharem Jahja and Sead Ajruli.
After its establishment the Foundation had an initiative to buy the compound that consists of two buildings ("Vilayet Konagi” and "Telegrafhane”), built at the time of the Ottoman rule that today are part of the compound located at the address of Samoilova 10 in Skopje.
FOCIC’s BODIES
FOUNDERS
Founders of the Foundation "Centre for Islamic Civilization” FOCIC are:
B. Benjamin Idriz, Adnan Ismaili and Taxhudin Shabani.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board is an executive body of the Foundation that convenes regular meetings and decides on various issues regarding the functioning of the Foundation, as well as of individual institutions formed by it.
This board is competent for adopting decisions for forming i.e. disbanding of all the other
This board is competent for adopting decisions for forming i.e. disbanding of all the other
institutions, formed by the Foundation:
B. Benjamin Idriz
President
Adnan Ismaili
Vice‐President
Sead Ajruli
Member
Sulejman Baki
Member
Muharem Jahja
Member